Rotary engine.



PATENTED JUNE 12, 1906. A. M. A. SPONNECK-MAYER.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 13, 1905.

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w W 4 a 3 g m x z y No. 823,449. PATENTED JUNE 12, 1906. A. M. A. SPONNBGK-MAYER.

ROTARY ENGINE. APPLIOATION IILED JULY 13, 1905.

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INVENTOR WITNESSES PATENTED JUNE 12, 1906. A. M. A. SPONNEUK-MAYER.

ROTARY ENGINE. APPLICATION FILED JULY 13, 1905.

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WITNESSES def No. 823,449. PATENTED JUNE 12, 1906. A. M. A. SPONNEOK-MAYBR.

ROTARY ENGINE. APPLICATION FILED .TULY13, 1905.

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IIVENTOI No. 823,449. PATENTED JUNE 12, 1906v A. M. A. SPONNEOK-MAYER.

ROTARY ENGINE. APPLIOATION FILED JULY13,

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PATENTED JUNE 12, 1906.

-MAYER.

A. M. A. SPONNEO'K PATENTED JUNE 12, 1906. A. M. A. SPONNEGK-MAYELL ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 13, 1905.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROTARY ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 12, 1906.

Application filed Ju1y 13, 1905. Serial No. 269.492.

T0 aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANGELICA MARIA ANNA SPoNNEoK-MAYER, a citizen of the United States, residing at 6 Prince Consort road,

Kensington, London, England, have invent-- ed certain new and useful Improvements in Rotary Engines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to steam or other elastic-fluid engines of the revolving-cylinder type and is characterized by the cylinder or cylinders being fixed to the main shaft and rotating therewith, the axes of such cylinders being orthogonal to the axis of the main shaft, the rotation of which is effected by coupling the piston-rod or piston-rods with parallel ulling or pushing rods provided with bowls w liich are constrained to move in a closed cam-shaped guide the reaction of which causes the cylinders and shaft to revolve about the axis of the latter. By this arrangement, which is more fully described hereinafter with reference to a particular construction, a continuous torque on the main shaft is obtained, which torque may be made practically constant by suitably shaping the cam-guide. Further, the arrangement allows of the automatic admission and exhaust of the working fluid without the aid of a valve operated by a moving part of the engine, and the means whereby this-is effected forms part of the resent invention.

The invention wilfibe more fully indicated by describing its application to the case of a 'two cylinder high pressure single acting steam-engine but it will be obvious that the principle of operation and construction may e extended to compound steam-engines and double-acting cylinders, and, further, that elastic pressure fluids other than steam may be used as the working fluid.

In the accompanying drawings, Figures 1, 2, and 3 are respectively side, end, and plan views, partly in section, showing the application of the invention to a two-cylinder highpressure single-acting engine; and Fig. 4 is a detail, drawn to an enlarged scale, showing transverse and longitudinal sections of the working-fluid admission and exhaust devices. Figs. 5 and 6 are views similar to Figs. 1 and 2, showing a slightly-modified construction. Figs. 7 and 8 are views similar to those of Fig. 4, showing an arrangement of distributingvalve device modified to meet the case, in

which the cylinders are compounded instead of both being high-pressure; and Figs. 9 and 10 are views similar to Figs. 5 and 7, showing themodifications.necessary to make the cylinders double-acting.

Referring first to Figs. 1 to 4, the cylinders a, a are symmetrically disposed on either side of the main shaft 6, their axes being parallel to each other and orthogonal with that of the shaft with which the cylinders are arranged to rotate, their covers being bolted to a sleeve 0, which is keyed on the shaft I). The pistonrods (1 d extend outwardly from the pistons e e and have secured at their ends T-shaped cross-heads f f from the arms of which two pairs of pulling-rods g g, respectively, extend parallel to the cylinder-axes. Fixed to the other ends of the rods 9 g are brackets h h, which support transverse rods 4; i, provided at their ends with bowls or rollers j. The rods 0) i extend through longitudinal guideways k 7c, attached to the respective cylinders, and the rollers engage in suitable camgrooves Z, formed in the fixed frame m or in plates secured thereto. Thus when the pulling-rods g are moved axially with respect to the cylinder a by the pressure of the working fluid on the piston e they are constrained to move angularly with respect to the axis of the shaft b by virtue of the reaction between the cam-grooves Z and rollers 1', thereby rotating the cylinders and with them the main shaft. Similarly with respect to the cylinder 0/ and its cooperating parts steam or other working fluid is admitted to the cylinders a a, respectively, during alternate halfrevolutions of the shaft and is exhausted therefrom during the other half-revolutions, so that during the working stroke of one piston the other piston is being driven and the working fluid expelled from its cylinder.

The device for establishing alternate communication between the respective cylinders and a source of pressure fluid and an exhaust-outlet which may lead to the atmosphere or to a condenser is illustrated in Fig. 4, which shows the parts of the apparatus in the relative positions corresponding to the beginning of the working stroke of the piston e. A cylindrical piece a, which encircles the axle b and is secured to the fixed frame m, has a lateral recess 0, forming a steam or pressure-fluid chamber, which may be placed in communication with a suitable source of pressure fluid by means of a throttle or other Suitable valve in the known manner. The cylindrical steam-chest n is encircled by the sleeve 0, which is bolted to the cylindercov ers, as previously indicated, and perferably consists of two parts integral wth each other, but of different internal diameters, one of which closely encircles the shaft a, with which it rotates, to form a solid support for the cylinders, while the other part constitutes the sleeve or shell proper, which encircles the steam-chest. The latter part has a steam-inlet p registering with a corresponding opening in the inner cover of the cylinder. At or immediately before the beginning of the working stroke of, say, the cylinder a-i. 6., when the piston e is about the position shown in Fig. 1the inlet 1) is beginning to establish communication with the steam-chamber 0, and live steam is admitted to the cylinder until the communication is cut off by the continued revolving movement of the cylinder and sleeve 0, the portion of the stroke during which steam is admitted being determined by the circumferential dimensions of the inlet 19 and recess 0, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that by a slight modification the apparatus can be arranged to make the cut-off or admission, or both, variable, as may be necessary or advisable. The exhaust is effected through an exhaust-opening q in the inner cover of the cylinder, which is closed during the working stroke of the piston by the cylindrical piece 1", which at its outer section in closes the shaft 1) and is placed in communi cation with the atmosphere or with a condenser during the whole of the return stroke through a lateral recess 1". Precisely the same arrangement of inlet and exhaust openings is provided with respect to the cylinder a, and it has not, therefore, been considered necessary to illustrate these in the drawings. Since the two cylinders are displaced one hundred and eighty degrees angularly with respect to the axis of the shaft, exhaust will occur in the two cylinders in alternate half-revolutions of the shaft and similarly with the steam admission.

Since the engine above described is singleacting, reversal of the piston movement is not possible, and consequently when reverse movement of the part to be driven is required a suitable gear-wheel-reversing device (indicated by s in Fig. 3) is interposed between it and the main shaft 6 of the en- In the modified construction of Figs. 5 and 6 the piston-rods d d extend inwardly toward the shaft 1) and are connected to the cross-heads ff by lateral arms 25 t and longitudinal rods to 'u/ during the working stroke, this arrangement reducing considerably the overall length of the engine and the radius of the revolving part. In this case suitable guides attached to the cylinders are provided to steady the motion of the cross-heads and the rods to u and the transverse rods 'i i are bent to avoid interference with the pistonrod guides v, with which are combined or to which are attached the sleeve and cylinder support a, which secure the cylinders to the shaft 1).

Figs. 7 and 8 illustrate the modifications required in the steam inlet and exhaust apparatus for converting the two cylinder highpressure engines of Figs. 1, 2, 3 and Figs. 5, 6 into compound engines, the cylinder a during the return stroke of its piston exhausting into an annular chamber r in the cylindrical piece 1, which is in communication with the cylinder a during the working stroke of its piston or a portion thereof through the steam-inlet of the cylinder which in turn during the next half-revolution exhausts into the atmosphere or into a condenser, as before described.

Figs. 9 and 10 illustrate the application of the invention to double-acting compound engines. In this case high-pressure steam is admitted in turn to each cylinder during alternate half-revolutions of the main shaft, precisely as previously described with reference to the single-acting engine of Figs. 1 to 4. At the end of the high-pressure working stroke in each cylinder the steam is exhausted into the chamber r Figs. 8, 9, whence it is led through a pipe or passage w, fixed to or formed in an attachment to the cylinder to chamber w formed between the outer end of the cylinder and "an annular trough-shaped frame w, in which the outer ends of the revolving cylinders are guided, whence it is led by a passage as through the outer cylinder-cover to the other side of the piston on which it does work expansively during the second half of the revolution, at the end of which it is discharged through the exhaust-opening m in the annular frame 00 to the atmosphere. Thus during each half of a revolution of the main shaft one cylinder will receive high-pressure steam on the inner side of its piston and the other cylinder Will receive low pressure steam on the outer side of its piston.

Having thus described the nature of my said invention and the best means I know of carrying the same into practical effect, I claim- 1. In fluid-pressure engines of the revolving-cylinder type, a main shaft, a pair of cylinders mounted to rotate therewith and symmetrically disposed on either side of the shaft with their axes parallel to each other and orthogonal with the shaft, a transverse rod for each cylinder connected to reciprocate with the piston thereof, a longitudinal guideway fixed to each cylinder in which the said transverse rod is reciprocated, fixed cam-grooves in which the ends of the transverse rods engage, and means for admitting pressure-fluid to the said cylinders and exhaustin the expanded fluid therefrom, substantial y as described.

2. In fluid-pressure engines of the character herein described, means for admitting the Working fluid to the cylinders and exhausting it therefrom, comprising a fixed cylindrical steam-chest having a lateral opening, a sleeve encircling said steam-chest and attached to the cylinder covers, passages through the said sleeve and cylinder-covers adapted to register with the lateral opening in the steam-chest during part of a revolu- 

